


hello my old heart

by americangothic



Category: Something Wicked - Curse Squad
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen, Post-Canon, minor spoilers for the automaton arc, the witch shows up for a hot second but not really long enough to warrant tagging it as a character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-26 20:17:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18185246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americangothic/pseuds/americangothic
Summary: The world is different now. At least, the world is different for the three of them- seven years and far too many awful things will change a person.





	hello my old heart

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone did you know that ummmm curse squad good

They win.

Isla pauses, and Lucian stops, and Solanus asks what's going on. In front of them, the witch is curling in on itself, like a paper when it catches flame. Red, angry magic encircles its form until the only thing left is ash and a charred skull resting on the ground.

They win, and nothing happens.

* * *

At least- nothing happens instantly. As they travel, Lucian’s skin turns flaky and, slowly but surely, peels off. There are still bitter green lines running over her body, almost outlining her veins, and her left arm ends in a stump, but she has her soul back.  


Isla remembers patches of the past seven years, fragmented memories that slowly fill back together as time goes on. Her childhood, friends, what she was doing, who she was trying to help- that comes back too. 

Solanus doesn't get her body back. She insists it's fine whenever they bring it up, but the glance Isla and Lucian share when she does tells otherwise.

* * *

They go back, retracing their steps. It takes almost a full year despite the fact that all three know where they're heading. Eventually, when they reach the spot where Solanus made her deal, she’s quiet.

There's a young tree growing there, and curled up among the roots and the dirt at the base of the trunk is a figure who looks asleep. Slowly, Lucian unhooks Solanus’ lantern from her belt and places it next to them.

Solanus opens her eyes.

* * *

The world is different now. At least, the world is different for the three of them- seven years and far too many awful things will change a person. 

The world is different now because at some point, there'd been three categories they could fit each of their lives into. Before the witch, hunting the witch, and killing the witch. Now, there was a fourth, with no defined goal: after the witch was dead.

* * *

They have to travel for a while, but eventually Isla spots a town on the horizon and they get two rooms at an inn. It's the first time they've been in a town together and nobody avoided them like the plague, so Solanus spends the afternoon at the market finding bangles for Isla and Lucian. It's the calmest day they've had together.

They end up pushing the twin beds in one of the rooms together and sleeping curled up together; safe.

* * *

There's no reason, really, to keep traveling. Isla has most of her memories- a few are still just whispers, but no one else has them. It's a comfort now, in a way. The familiarity of being on the road doesn't wear off easily, and none of them have proposed an alternative.

At some point, though, Isla brings up the concept of settling. Either returning to where they started, or moving on and starting anew. Before the witch or after its death. 

None of them voice it, but there are reasons why they turned to the witch. Loneliness, desperation, being unwanted, people that weren't around anymore. The unspoken decision to stay together is made.   


* * *

The world is different, and each day it gets better. Plans don't stay the same from conceptualization to execution, and this is no different. Isla stops doing her magic- or at least severely dials it down. It doesn't quite make her sick, but sometimes the pink glow stretches too far into red for her liking.

Solanus teaches herself how to move again, involuntary and voluntary actions. She takes an dual apprenticeship at a bakery with Lucian, and eventually manages to measure flour without spilling anything. It's a milestone.

They're happy, in the best sense of the word.

**Author's Note:**

> this is tagged as an au where no one dies bc im almost certain one of the trio will not have a gucci ending, so to speak. anyway please i just want them to have a happy ending


End file.
